Unemployment Rates Fall in 74 Percent of States

Jobs are being added in most states

Figures from the Labor Department showed unemployment rates went down in 37 U.S. states last month, thanks, in large part, to an increase in hiring.

Unemployment rates are now below 7 percent in almost half the states in the nation - 23 of 50 states. Rates rose in seven states in October and were unchanged in six, according to the AP.

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Nationwide, the unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent in October, but employers added 171,000 jobs in the month. Job gains in September and August were also much stronger than initially estimated. That raised the average job growth from July through September to 174,000 a month, up from 67,000 a month in the April-June quarter.

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